Christmas tree supports are shown in various United States patents. The support of U.S. Pat. No. 4,088,294 is composed of component parts which require a welding or bonding step in the manufacturing process which makes it more expensive to manufacture. Additionally, the adjusting band is of a thread-and-screw type wherein the band is disposed within a slotted portion of the legs and tightens against the tree stem. The support is not due to the interaction of the legs with each other but, rather, to the tension of the single fastening band pressing the slotted portion of the legs directly against the tree trunk. In order to remove the support from the tree, it is necessary to loosen the band and slide the stem out from the support. This is because the support is not of an easy connect and disconnect type. To remove the support without lifting the tree would require threading the entire adjustable band out from the screw portion.
The legs of the support of U.S. Pat. No. 3,295,802 are fastened to a Christmas tree stand in the same manner as the aforementioned reference. Basically, a single band with a thread and screw type clamp is used for tightening the legs against the tree stem. The legs do not interact with each other for purposes of fastening against the tree stem. As with the previous reference, the tree must be lifted in order to remove the stand with any relative degree of expediency. Otherwise, the entire band must be threaded out from the screw device. The band holds two pairs of legs in engagement with opposite sides of the base of the tree. However, the trunks of large trees are engaged only by the edges of leg angles and the band is held on the legs only by tension. Furthermore, the supports preclude placing the base of a supported tree in a container of water without placing at least part of the support itself in such container. Hence, the support will be subject to corrosion or rot from exposure to water or the supported trees will be denied water, have shortened useful lives, and be more likely to become fire hazards.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,733,040 contains many component parts making the support difficult to assemble and expensive to manufacture. The support legs require a base wherein interlocking connection occurs with tabs of the base inserted in holes of the legs. This provides opposite tension against the other end of the legs which are clamped onto the tree. The use of the clamp alone would not work because the legs would slide out from the bottom. Additionally, further support pads are provided to ensure a non-skid surface. Furthermore, the adjustment range for the particular clamp size cannot be much larger or smaller than the clamp diameter. Accordingly, different clamps would be necessary for use with different tree trunk diameters. Moreover, as with the previous references, this support precludes placing the base of the tree in a container of water. Therefore, the tree will have a shortened useful life.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,853,261 shows a "Stabilizer for Containers" using a complicated resilient band holding legs in engagement with a cylinder which is to receive the container to be supported. Rivets are used to support the band around the container. The device is not really a support but, rather, a mechanism for establishing stable equilibrium. This device shares with all the above-noted Christmas tree supports the problem of being designed for a single use.